A Light Against The Fear
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Part 4 of 5 of L&S epilogue. Kayla, Yumi, Ulrich, and William go to Gotham City for part of their vacation. Too bad their vacation becomes a fight for their lives.
1. Checking In

**This is the thirteenth entry in the **_**Light and Shadow**_** series and the fourth entry in the epilogue crossover series. I do not own **_**Code: LYOKO **_**or **_**Batman: The Brave and the Bold**_**, but the characters of Kayla Olson and Eva Maverick are mine. **

**SPOILER ALERT FOR PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THE OTHER THREE PARTS OR WANT TO HAVE THE PREVIOUS PLOTS RUINED FOR YOU!: I think it would be fair to give everyone a recap about what happened in the epilogue crossover series so far. The first three installments can be found under the _Code: LYOKO_/_Gargoyles_ section. In part one _Shadows Reborn_, XANA comes back online thanks to the men in black who have been chasing Aelita. The LYOKO warriors meet Alex Xanatos and together they try to save the world from XANA once again. Alex becomes the ninth LYOKO warrior. In _Light Presumed Extinguished_ the LYOKO warriors discover a way to bring Franz Hopper back to earth. With Alex's help, they manage to bring him back. And in _Shadow Redemption_, Alex's father, David Xanatos needs a bone marrow transplant and there is no donor in the family. Eva turns out to be a match, but there are complications. Also, the LYOKO warriors learn that Antea Schaeffer is alive and being held by the men in black. To find out what exactly happens in each installment, you're going to have to read the stories. **

**NOTE: If you are new to this and are looking for the _Light and Shadow_ series before the epilogue, go to my profile page and there is a list, in order, of each title.**

**The smallest light is enough to dispel the darkest shadows. As long as there is hope, no cause is lost. Your hope may be frail, like a tiny candle flame, but it cannot be extinguished, unless you yourself extinguish it. No one else can do it for you. Continue to fight on and you will find victory.**

* * *

><p>Four parents. Four children. Four LYOKO warriors. A grand total of eight people in the traveling party. How? The Dunbars and the Sterns were traveling together, along with Yumi and Kayla. Things had been interesting the past few days for them to say the least. The shouting between the Sterns had been kept to a minimum and the Dunbars were impressed by William's good behavior. They were currently in Gotham City, the last leg of their American visit.<p>

It was only a week ago that the Pop Rock Progressives got up on stage with the Subdigitals and rocked the house in front of thousands of people. But that wasn't the highlight of their American vacation. No, that spot was held by the fact that they located and rescued Antea Schaeffer, Aelita's mother. In second place came Eva's noble, but stupid beyond all explanation, bone marrow donation to a friend's father that she barely knew. Aelita and Eva were currently traveling with the Subdigitals as the opening act since the band who was scheduled backed out.

"Wow, this place reminds me of New York," said William, looking out the window the cab. His parents, Kayla, and himself were crammed into one cab, the Sterns and Yumi in one following them. They were headed for the hotel they would spend two nights at before flying back to France.

"It certainly does," agreed Kayla.

They arrived at the hotel and got checked in. It wasn't a luxurious hotel, but it wasn't a hole in the wall with a bed either. It was just right for two middle-class families. Kayla and William translated for the Dunbars and the Sterns to get checked in and they went to their rooms. All four LYOKO warriors wished that the magic spell Alex had put in place for them to understand English was still effective. The spell had worn off the moment they left Manhattan.

"We should have plenty of practice with English now," William said his friends as they walked to their rooms.

"All right," Mr. Stern said, authoritatively. "Women in one room, men in the other. And if I catch you in the other's room, there will be consequences." As he said this, he glared at Yumi and gave a dark look to Ulrich.

Ulrich and Yumi shrugged it off. It had been like this the entire trip. They knew Mr. Stern didn't like their relationship. Luckily it was only Mr. Stern harping on them or one of them would have snapped ages ago.

Kayla, Yumi, Mrs. Stern, and Mrs. Dunbar unpacked in their room.

"Are you girls going to be all right sharing a bed?" asked Mrs. Stern.

"Yes," replied Kayla.

"It's not a problem," answered Yumi.

"I think we should be more concerned about our husbands," said Mrs. Dunbar. "They are almost at each others throats."

Yumi and Kayla looked at each other. If they could make it through the next two days without any incidents, miracles did exist.

Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Stern were heatedly discussing sleeping arrangements. Were the boys going to have one bed? Were the respective fathers to sleep next to their child?

"Just make up your mind," muttered Ulrich at the fathers.

William chuckled. "You would think that they would have this figured out by now."

Ulrich just rolled his eyes. He took out his mobile and sent Yumi a message.

In the girls' room, a mobile beeped quietly. Yumi opened the text message on her mobile.

"It's from Ulrich," she said to Kayla.

Kayla looked over Yumi shoulder.

**Going nuts here. Fighting over sleeping arrangements. Go?**

Kayla and Yumi giggled.

"You think we should rescue them?" asked Yumi.

"Yes," replied Kayla.

The two girls left the room and joined the two boys in the hallway. Time to do a little exploring.

The four of them went out to the pool. It was a bit crowded out there, but they didn't mind. They just needed a place to talk, not to swim.

"Now you know what I go through every holiday," Ulrich said.

"I will never complain about my parents acting that way again," said Yumi. "Your father has frustration down to a science."

"I wonder if the others are fairing any better," said William.

"I talked to Odd yesterday," said Yumi. "He says he wishes he was with us. Apparently his sisters are giving him grief."

"Jeremy sent me a message this morning," said Ulrich. "He says things are going well at his family get together. He and Patrick are discovering they have more in common than they first thought."

"You can thank XANA for getting that kick started," said Yumi. "They used to hate each other."

"What about Eva and Aelita?" asked William.

"Aelita sent us video of a concert," said Kayla. "She and Eva are doing great."

"Where are they now?" asked Ulrich.

"Rhode Island," Kayla replied. "They are coming up with new songs and they are hoping to get some studio time between shows to give us proper recordings instead of live music."

"Wouldn't it be great if they got their own recording contract when the tour is over?" asked William.

"That would be cool," said Yumi. "But maybe not so great with those guys still chasing Aelita and her family."

"I'm sure they can find away to get away from them," said Kayla. "Mr. Xanatos said he would help them. As rich as that man is, he probably has a team of lawyers on standby for something like that."

"And I pity anyone who goes after Aelita when Eva is around," said William.

"Anyone?" asked Ulrich.

"If it's the men in black, I almost pity them," corrected William.

"Yeah," said Ulrich. "Eva can be brutal when provoked."

"How bad can she get?" asked William.

They turned to Kayla, the one who would know the answer.

"She would go as far as she has to if someone threatened one of her family," answered Kayla.

"You don't think she would kill anyone, do you?" asked Yumi.

Kayla thought for a moment. "If given a choice, I don't think she would kill. She would beat the guy to a pulp, but she wouldn't kill unless it was a life or death situation."

"That's what I thought," said Ulrich.

William's mobile beeped. He checked his text message. "Come on," he said. "Our parents want to go sightseeing."


	2. A Shadow Comes

Batman was sitting in front of the massive computer screens in the Bat Cave. A series of assaults on young women had come to his attention. The police had no leads. Naturally, it fell to Batman to solve the mystery.

The files of three young women were displayed on the center screen. None of them had anything in common that Batman could tell just by looking at them. They had different hair color, different eye color, different jobs, and were different ages. And now all three of them were at Gotham General in comas. There were no marks on their bodies from being struck by their attacker and there was nothing in their blood tests that suggested drugs.

"Perhaps this needs a different approach," Batman said to himself.

* * *

><p>At Gotham University, Jason Blood was sitting in his office. He currently taught there as a professor of the occult. The only light in the continuously darkening room was the desk lamp. Jason glanced up and saw there was a storm rolling in. With a smirk, he turned back to his paperwork.<p>

"I have been expecting you," Jason said.

Stepping out of the shadows. Batman gave Jason a startled expression. "How did you know?"

Jason looked up at Batman.

"Right," said Batman. "Precognition."

"It may be limited, but I know when my expertise is needed," said Jason. He put his paperwork aside. "What is it?"

Batman placed the three case files on Jason's desk. "These three are victims of three different assaults. The only thing they have in common is that all three are in comas for some unknown reason."

"And you came to me because you hit a dead-end," said Jason, opening the files.

Jason took a few moments to look over the three files. His frown deepened with each second. "Your mystery assailant could not have chosen three girls more different."

"I noticed," said Batman. "Katherine O'Connell, age twenty. She was found under a highway overpass." He pointed the picture of a redhead with green eyes. He then pointed to a Latina with a brilliant smile as she stood next to a bride. "Lucia Hernandez, age eighteen. She never came home from a friend's house. They found her the next day in an alley." Batman picked up a picture of blond with streaks of crimson in her hair and dressed in black clothing and dark makeup. "Finally there's Marceline Rhinehart, age seventeen. She went missing for two days and then they found her on a bench in Gotham Park."

"They keep getting younger," Jason observed.

"All three live in different parts of the city. None of their paths crossed anywhere. They do not know each other."

"But they all know their assailant," said Jason. "And the time between when they were last seen and when they were found is growing."

"I fear that he may take another victim soon," said Batman.

Jason looked over the reports. "No toxins in their blood?"

"None," said Batman.

"People do not just fall into comas," said Jason. "Certainly not people so young. Not without help."

"That's why I came to you," said Batman. "I thought you would know something about whatever caused them to fall into comas. Is there some toxin that would not be detected by the doctors that you know of?"

"None that's effects would not have worn off by now," said Jason. He frowned and placed the pictures taken of the girls at the hospital in front of him.

"What is it?" asked Batman.

"They have minor wounds," said Jason. "Days old from what I can tell from the scabs."

Batman looked closely at the pictures. Katherine O'Connell had a small scab between her knuckles, like one would if their skin dried out and cracked. Lucia Hernandez had a torn cuticle on her left index finger that was in the process of healing. And Marceline Rhinehart had a scrape on her elbow.

"You're right," said Batman. "Do you think it has anything to do with how the victims are selected?"

"It may," said Jason. He stood up and went to the bookcase. He searched for a moment and took a book from the shelf. Jason brought the book back to the desk and opened it. He flipped through several pages before finding what he was looking for.

"A vampire?" asked Batman, following Jason's finger as it moved down the page. "You think a vampire did this to them?"

"A psychic vampire to be more precise," said Jason. "Instead of feeding on blood, they feed on psychic energy or life energy. It would explain the comas. If one takes too much life energy away from another person, that person's body will try to preserve itself, such as going into a coma until the life energy can be replenished."

"How long does it take for someone to come out of a coma like that?" asked Batman.

"Some don't come out of the coma," Jason said somberly. "Modern medicine will reject any idea of a vampire doing this to someone. I do have notes on how to replenish someone's energy. Give me a little time and I will have a cure."

"What about the vampire?" asked Batman.

"He takes his time," said Jason. "I think we have some time before he chooses his next victim."

"He?" asked Batman. "How do you know the vampire is male?"

"Vampires prefer to go after the opposite gender," replied Jason.

"But why choose someone in this manner?" asked Batman. "Why girls with healing cuts?"

"It may be a way to test how strong they are," said Jason. "The stronger the will, the more energy there is to take. Life energy lies in the blood. If he can smell the blood, he could gauge the energy."

"So any girl with so much as a healing paper cut is fair game to this thing?" Batman said.

Jason nodded. "Hopefully, he won't kill the next one. The longer he keeps them, the greater the chance he will kill his victim."

There was a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder. The power went out, throwing Jason and Batman into the darkness. Batman took out a flashlight. Jason was walking for the door.

"I will get to work on a cure for the three girls in the hospital," Jason said. "As soon as we administer the cure, we will search for the vampire."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," said Batman with a nod as he followed Jason out of the room.

* * *

><p>Sightseeing for Kayla, Yumi, Ulrich, and William quickly turned into shopping once Mrs. Stern and Mrs. Dunbar saw the shops in Gotham. The husbands were less than pleased at this, but one scathing look from Mrs. Dunbar put them in their place. The women were going shopping and that was the end of it.<p>

"And I thought Eva could glare," Kayla said with a giggle as the four friends went into a teenage clothing store in the mall.

"Mom always could do that to Dad when she saw a sale," William said.

Yumi looked around the store. "Check out all this stuff," she said. "I don't remember any store at home with so much stuff for teens."

"Definitely a selection of styles to choose from," said Kayla. She got a scheming look. She turned to her friends. "Let's play a game."

"Okay," said William. "What kind of game?"

"We shop for another person," said Kayla. "We create a look for them based on their personality and style."

"Huh?" said Ulrich, making a face.

"Oh, it'll be fun," said Kayla. "But it has to be an entire outfit, shoes included."

William thought for a moment and shrugged. "Sure, why not? We have time."

"Okay!" said Kayla. "William shops for me, I shop for William, and Yumi and Ulrich shop for each other."

"Hey!" interjected Ulrich.

"Hold on!" Yumi said at the same time.

Kayla wasn't going to let the protest. "We'll meet at the dressing rooms. Put an hour on the clock and go!"

William and Kayla hurried off before Yumi and Ulrich could say anything more. Ulrich and Yumi watched them disappear into the racks. They looked at each other.

"Umm," said Ulrich, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yumi wasn't sure what to say to him. "Let's just . . ."

"Yeah," agreed Ulrich.

Ulrich and Yumi went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>William called Kayla on his mobile. "You are wicked!" he said to her.<p>

Kayla giggled. "I know," she said. "I have to admit this is fun."

William looked at yellow top with silver glitter, a swirly pattern, and a fleur-de-lis. This couldn't have suited Kayla more, William remembering that Kayla's LYOKO form had fleurs-de-lis on her top and boots.

"I'm having fun, too," said William. "I think I found the perfect top for you."

Kayla found a black jacket that would fit William. She looked at the price tag and winced. She moved on.

"Really?" she asked, moving to a T-shirt display. She found a black shirt with a jagged silver line running from top to bottom. It almost looked like William's jumpsuit on LYOKO. She picked it up and carried it with her. "I just found something for you."

William chuckled. "I wonder how Yumi and Ulrich are doing."

* * *

><p>Yumi was biting her lip in the boys' section, trying to find something that Ulrich would wear. She had known him for two years and she didn't know what he liked. He was plain, usually T-shirt and jacket and jeans or cargo pants.<p>

She looked at a display of jeans. "I have to start somewhere," she said to herself.

Yumi began looking at jean styles. It seemed that skinny jeans were in and she knew for a fact that Ulrich would not like them. He liked baggy clothes, something he could easily move in in case he had to fight.

Yumi smiled to herself. Maybe she knew Ulrich better than she thought.

* * *

><p>"Why did I have to get Yumi?" Ulrich muttered to himself in the girls' section. He felt nervous. He didn't want to be here. "If I had Kayla, I could be done by now."<p>

Ulrich saw a black top that he thought Yumi might like. He picked it up and looked it over. It was a wrap shirt, almost like a kimono top, black edged in silver. Now for the pants. Yumi wasn't a fan of skirts.

* * *

><p>An hour later they met up at the dressing rooms.<p>

"Let's see," said Kayla.

They exchanged bundles of clothes and shoes and went into the dressing rooms. Kayla was the first to come out. She stood in front of the dressing room mirror. William had chosen a yellow top with a swirly design and silver fleur-dis-lis set off-center on the left side of her chest and silver glitter, a silver miniskirt, gold leggings, red leg warmers, and black ankle boots.

Yumi came out next in a black Oriental top with silver trim and buttons. Her pants were black and she wore black combat boots that were a little on the chunky side. A silver chain belt went around her waist, several gummy bracelets in muted colors and a new watch on her wrists, and a pair of black fingerless gloves laid underneath the accessories to make the colors pop.

"That top is so cute!" Kayla said.

"You look good, too," said Yumi.

Kayla turned back to the mirror. "It could use a bit more, but I love it."

The boys came out.

William was wearing a black top with a jagged silver line dividing it, washed out jeans and black work boots. Ulrich was wearing jeans and a baggy hunter green shirt, a black hooded vest, and a pair of new sneakers.

"How did we do?" asked William.

"Great!" Kayla beamed. "This could use a few more accessories though. I think I saw something I liked at the front of the store."

"Let's go get it," said William.

Kayla and William hurried to the front of the store to grab a few more things.

Yumi and Ulrich looked at each other. There was an awkward moment shared between them.

"I hope I guessed you size right," said Ulrich.

"Perfect fit," said Yumi. "You?"

"You did great," said Ulrich.

"Okay," said Yumi.

More silence.

"Is there anything else you want to get before we check out?" asked Ulrich.

"Not that I can think of," said Yumi.

"Then let's go," said Ulrich, quickly ducking back into the dressing rooms.

After Kayla and William picked up a red wrap and a red, yellow, and black woven bracelet, they checked out. Wearing their new clothes, they met up with the Sterns and the Dunbars.

* * *

><p><strong>I did a bit of guessing with what Blood does, because I have no idea what he does in his spare time.<strong> ** Please review and let me know what you think.**


	3. A Stern Argument

The four LYOKO warriors were having dinner pool side at the hotel. The Stern and the Dunbars were talking and the LYOKO warriors tended to keep quiet.

"Kayla, pass the salt, please," Mr. Dunbar said.

Kayla picked up the salt shaker and handed it to Mr. Dunbar.

Mrs. Stern gasped. "Kayla, what happened to your arm?"

Kayla turned her hand over. The scabs where Eva had dug her fingernails into her skin were still there. They were starting to dry and in a few days would flake off. The bruises had already disappeared.

"It's from when we were in Manhattan," said Kayla. "It's nothing. They don't hurt or anything."

"But what happened?" Mrs. Stern said again. "Those look like fingernail marks."

Kayla swallowed before answering. Everyone was looking at her. The adults were waiting for an explanation and the LYOKO warriors were on the edge of their seats, wondering how the adults were going to react.

"Eva had a bit of a fit in the hospital," Kayla said. "She held onto my arm until it was over. She didn't mean to hurt me."

Mr. Stern gave a look of contempt. "I knew there was something wrong with that girl. The way she dresses, you would think she was a boy. She probably cross-dresses all the time. Probably sick in the head as well. What's that disorder called? Gender identity disorder, that's what it is. She acts so shady. She's a delinquent, too."

Kayla was not going to say anything about what Mr. Stern what he just said. It was true, but it was hurtful as well.

"Eva is not sick in the head," Ulrich said in a low voice.

"What, boy?" asked Mr. Stern.

"She's not sick," Ulrich repeated, glaring at his father.

"Eva is a good person," William put in.

Mr. Stern snorted. "One look at her and you can tell she's a bad egg."

"Dear," Mrs. Stern said.

"That talk is not necessary," said Mr. Dunbar.

"Have you ever talked to her?" asked Mrs. Dunbar.

"You don't talk to us unless you have to," said Yumi to Mr. Stern. "You take one look at us and assume we are bad people."

"I know enough about you," said Mr. Stern. "I've seen Ulrich's report card, I know about all the detentions, and it's because of you. It was probably your fault to that William had a psychological breakdown."

The LYOKO warriors froze.

The Dunbars looked at them.

"William," said Mr. Dunbar. "Is this true?"

"No, Dad," said William.

The three remaining LYOKO warriors stayed quiet. Ulrich and Yumi blamed themselves for allowing XANA capture William in the first place. Kayla remembered the clone of William that she somehow fell in love with. She had come to love the real William, but she still missed the clone.

Mr. Stern took their silence as guilt. "Liars, all of you," he said. "I don't know what Ulrich sees in any of you, especially that cross-dressing delinquent. What good is she?"

The table shook as Kayla slammed down her fork and jumped up from her chair. "You unpleasant, despicable man! You don't know a thing about Eva, yet you judge her. Eva is a kind and caring person no matter what she looks like. She gave her marrow to an almost complete stranger! She's smart, believe it or not, and has already graduated school."

"Probably cheated," said Mr. Stern.

Kayla gave him a disgusted look. "You can't stand the idea that your son has good friends! You may not approve of us, but we are good to him."

Kayla turned and ran off.

"Kayla, wait!" William jumped up and ran after his girlfriend with Yumi right behind him.

Ulrich started to rise as well.

"Sit down, Ulrich," barked Mr. Stern.

Ulrich shot him a glare before running after his friends.

"Ulrich!" Mr. Stern yelled after him.

* * *

><p>Kayla ran out of the hotel and raced down several streets. She was almost hit by a car once, but she kept on going. She ran into an abandoned theater, climbing through a boarded up window.<p>

* * *

><p>"Where did she go?" Yumi asked Ulrich.<p>

"I lost her," said Ulrich. "She's just as quick as Eva."

"Doesn't surprise me," said William.

"They've been friends for a long time," said Ulrich. "Makes sense that Kayla would pick up some of Eva's tricks."

Yumi turned and saw the abandoned theater. She pointed it out to the boys. "I think she may have gone in there."

"What makes you think that?" asked Ulrich.

"Kayla loves dance," said William. "Being in a theater may make her feel better. Let's check it out."

The three friends climbed through the boarded up window that Kayla used to get in. Little did they know that they were being watched from the shadows.

* * *

><p>Kayla took out her mobile from her skirt pocket and used its weak light to find her way around. She found the stage stairs and hopped up on stage. There was a lot of dust and spiders. Kayla guessed no one had been there for a long time. The stage was sturdy, though, and Kayla had no fear walking across it.<p>

Mr. Stern's words hurt her. How could anyone talk about someone else when they didn't know them?

"She's not a bad person," Kayla whispered, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. "She's not a bad person."

The lights suddenly turned on. Kayla jumped and looked around.

"It's only us," said William.

Kayla let out a sigh of relief at seeing her friends walk down the aisle and up to the stage.

"Sorry about my dad," said Ulrich.

"I'm sorry for snapping like I did," said Kayla.

Ulrich frowned. "What are you apologizing for? He's a jerk. He's always been a jerk. Honestly I can't see how my mother can stand it."

"Besides," said Yumi, "if he said something like that about you to Eva, someone snapping at him would be the least of his worries."

Kayla gave a short laugh. "There's a hospital bill and an assault charge."

The four of them laughed.

William looked around the stage. "Hey, Kayla, have you ever danced on a stage this large?"

Kayla sized up the stage and the seating for the audience. "Not this big," she answered. "But a place like this brings back memories."

"Really?" asked William.

Kayla nodded. "I was in "The Nutcracker" before I came to Kadic."

"You were?" asked Ulrich.

"What part did you have?" asked Yumi.

"Probably the part of Clara," William said with a smile.

Kayla shook her head, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. "I was part of the duet for the coffee dance."

"That's cool," said Ulrich.

"Who was your partner?" asked William, frowning.

They turned to him.

"You almost sound jealous," Yumi said with a giggle.

"I may be," said William. "A duet. That's for a girl and a boy." He crossed his arms. "So, who was he?"

Kayla grinned. "You know him," she said slyly. "His name is Ricky."

Yumi, Ulrich, and William thought about everyone they knew and they couldn't think of a Ricky. They stared at Kayla. Kayla had a smug look on her face.

"Ricky, Ricky, Ricky," Yumi muttered under her breath.

But all Ulrich heard was the Rick part. "Rick," he muttered as well. His eyes went wide at his sudden revelation. "Maverick!" he said.

"Wait, what?" asked William. "Eva was your partner?"

"How did you manage to pull that off?" asked Yumi. "I knew Eva could cross-dress, but how did she do it in tights?"

"It was not easy, believe me," said Kayla with a laugh at the memory. "It took a lot of practice, but the pain was making her physically look like a boy in a leotard and tights. We didn't wear the costumes for practice and the costume helped cover up what was not supposed to be there. The worst part was the breast bindings. We had to make sure everything stayed in place when she was performing the lifts. Everything else was just a matter of makeup and a wig."

"She had to lift you?" asked William.

"Eva's very strong," said Yumi.

"For a girl?" asked William.

"For anyone," said Kayla. "I know that she can bench press her weight if she has to. She can pick me up, and if she does it right, she can hold me up with one hand. And I can do the same."

"You can?" asked William.

Kayla nodded. "It's all a matter of how you lift someone. I carried her to the Hermitage one time when there was XANA attack and she had one of Franz's headaches."

"It must have taken a lot of practice," said Ulrich.

"Oh, yeah," said Kayla. "A lot."

William took out his mobile. "I have an idea. Since it's just us, let's have a little show."

"What?" asked Kayla.

"Sure," said Ulrich.

"Let's see some of those moves, Kayla," said Yumi.

"Eva and Aelita shouldn't be the only ones sending video home to the others," said William.

"Oh, all right," said Kayla.

The others took a few steps back. Kayla did a couple ballet moves before making a huge leap and twirling.

"There," she said. She got a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. "Oh, William."

"What?" asked William, lowering his mobile.

"Care to dance?" Kayla asked, holding her hand out to him.

"No," he said. "I don't dance. It's not my thing."

"I can teach you," said Kayla.

"It's okay," said William.

Ulrich and Yumi gave William a push and he staggered out to Kayla. Kayla took William's hand and pulled him to her side.

"Just watch me," said Kayla.

Kayla did a twirl, her hands at her sides and both feet on the floor.

William mimicked her, although he couldn't do it as well.

"It's okay," Kayla said when she saw his embarrassed look. "Try again."

William did it again.

"That's better," Kayla said with a smile.

"I can't believe he is dating a dancer and he doesn't know how to dance," said Ulrich.

"Hey!" William called to Ulrich. "I'm sure Yumi can do something that you don't know how to do."

Ulrich stiffened.

Yumi laughed. "He got you there."

The lights suddenly went out. They all felt a heavy thump on the stage. Conditioned from all the XANA attacks and fighting on LYOKO, the four of them went into fighting stances, waiting for whatever was coming.

William and Kayla pressed their backs together and Ulrich and Yumi did the same. They waited, listening for footsteps.

Yumi let out a yell.

"Yumi!" Ulrich shouted.

There was a heavy thud.

"Ulrich!" called William.

No answer.

Kayla shrieked.

William whirled around and managed to grab something. Something hit him in the stomach and he was sent flying across the stage. He tried to get to his feet, but he passed out before he could get to his knees.


	4. A Call to Nicolas

**NOTE: Everything spoken in English will be set in regular type. Everything spoken in French will be written in English, but in italics. Memories will be separated by line breaks and will not have italics. I don't know if Blood really speaks French, but he has traveled quite a bit so I'm going to go out on a limb with it.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Batman and Jason had administered the antidote to the three young women in the hospital who had been attacked by the vampire. They were just getting back into the Bat Mobile when a call came through the radio.<p>

"All units, kidnapping at the Old Gotham Theater," said dispatch.

"Another one?" asked Batman.

"It could be our vampire," said Jason.

They sped to the Old Gotham Theater. The police were already there searching for clues. An ambulance's back doors were opened to reveal two boys in their early to mid-teens wrapped in blankets. A paramedic was looking them over.

"What happened here?" Batman asked a detective.

"A couple of kids were doing a little sightseeing," said the detective. "We're not entirely sure what happened. Neither of them speak English very well."

"Let me try," said Batman.

"Be my guest," said the detective.

Batman waved Jason over to him and the two walked over to the ambulance. The two boys looked up at them as they approached. Both looked like they were going to run at the first chance they got.

Batman looked at Jason. "Do you want to try first? They seem leery of me."

"All right," said Jason.

The two boys straightened up as Jason came closer.

"Hello," said Jason. "My name is Jason. What are your names?"

The taller, raven haired boy answered first. "William."

"Ulrich," answered the brunette.

"Can you understand me if I speak English?" asked Jason. "The detective said that you did not speak English very well."

"We understand," said William.

Jason recognized the accent. Both boys were French. "_I can speak French,_" said Jason. "_Perhaps this would be easier._"

The boys looked at each other. William nodded at Ulrich.

"_What happened tonight?_" asked Jason.

"_We are on vacation with our families,_" said William. "_My parents, Ulrich's parents, and our friends, Yumi and Kayla. We all go to the same school._"

"_Yumi and Kayla? What are their last names?_" asked Jason.

"_Yumi Ishiyama and Kayla Olson,_" answered Ulrich. "_Yumi's fifteen. Kayla's fourteen._"

"_So what were you doing here?_" asked Jason.

"_There was a fight with my father,_" said Ulrich. "_My dad insulted a friend of ours, Kayla's best friend. She got very upset and she ran away from the hotel._"

"_We followed her here,_" continued William. "_We calmed her down and then we started talking about times before we all met. Kayla used to be a ballet dancer. We asked her what shows she was in and we were having a bit of fun before we went back to the hotel. I mean, we were already here, might as well do something. I took out my mobile to take some pictures to show to our other friends._"

"_The lights went out,_" said Ulrich. "_Yumi was standing next to me. William was next to Kayla. I heard Yumi scream and something hit me in the back of the head. I blacked out after that._"

"_I heard Yumi scream, too,_" William picked up. "_Kayla was right next to me. I heard something fall, I'm guessing that was Ulrich hitting the floor. Kayla screamed and I tried to reach her. I got hit in the stomach and I woke up across the stage._" William reached into his pocket and took out a torn piece of black cloth. "_I ripped this off of whoever took them._"

Jason took the bit of fabric. "_Where are your parents now?_"

"_At the hotel? We're not sure. We didn't call them,_" said William. "_We're not sure what to tell them._"

"_Would you like my friend to call them?_" asked Jason.

"_They don't speak English,_" said Ulrich.

"Find them?" William asked Jason.

"_I will,_" promised Jason. "_I have one more question._"

"_What?_" asked Ulrich.

"_This may sound strange, but it is important,_" said Jason. "_Did either Yumi or Kayla have a healing cut or scratch?_"

"_I don't know about Yumi,_" said Ulrich. He turned to William.

William nodded. "_Kayla has several scratches, but they've all scabbed over. They happened a week ago._"

"Merci," said Jason.

Jason walked back over to Batman.

"And?" asked Batman.

"William and Ulrich said that they were here with two girls, Yumi Ishiyama and Kayla Olson," said Jason. "They are all on vacation together with William and Ulrich's parents. They had a fight and Kayla ran off and came here. They tell me the lights went out and Ulrich and William were attacked and the girls were taken. Kayla has several healing scratches. To me, it sounds like our vampire."

"How long do these girls have?" asked Batman.

"It depends on how strong they are," answered Jason. "If their will is strong, they will be fine, provided we can find them before he drains them completely."

"Taking two girls at the same time sounds like a crime of opportunity," said Batman. "Or it could mean he is very hungry."

"Even a hungry vampire does not attack so quickly after he finishes with one girl," said Jason. "This is disturbing."

Jason took out the piece of cloth that William gave to him.

"What is that?" asked Batman.

"A piece of a garment from our assailant," said Jason. "William managed to get this while he was taking Kayla away."

Batman took the cloth from Jason. He took a small device out of his utility belt and scanned the cloth.

"This cloth is very old," said Batman. "It dates back to the Victorian age."

"Our vampire is old," said Jason. "It may explain his appetite."

"We should alert the boys' families," said Batman.

* * *

><p>William and Ulrich were listening intently to what Batman and Jason were saying. Taking a page out of the LYOKO play book, they played dumb and let on that they only knew a little bit of English. After so many XANA attacks and not knowing who was friend and who was foe, being paranoid was a way to survive.<p>

"_Did you hear them?_" asked William.

"_Of course I heard them,_" Ulrich snapped back. "_And I thought things were weird when LYOKO was still active._"

"_What are we going to do?_" asked William.

"_We? Are you nuts?_" asked Ulrich.

"_We can't just sit here and let them be drained of their blood by a vampire,_" said William. "_They are our friends. We have to help them._"

"_And what are we going to tell our parents?_" asked Ulrich. "_Mom, Dad, we're going vampire hunting for our friends?_"

"_No,_" said William. "_I'm more concerned about what we are going to tell Eva when she finds out about this._"

Ulrich flinched. "_Good point. I rather have my dad yell at me than whatever punishment Eva can come up with._"

"_The question is where do we start,_" said William. "_I don't know about you, but I haven't a clue about where vampires hang out._"

Ulrich had an idea. He took out his mobile. "_Maybe not, but I think I may know someone who does._"

"_Who are you calling?_" asked William.

"_Nicolas,_" replied Ulrich.

"_Isn't he on vacation?_" asked William.

"_Yeah,_" said Ulrich, putting his mobile to his ear. "_Let's hope we're not interrupting something._"

The mobile rang several times before someone answered it.

"_Nicolas,_" said Ulrich. "_It's Ulrich. We have a problem._"

"_Huh? What? Ulrich?_" Nicolas asked drowsily. "_Do you know what time it is?_"

"_No, not where you are,_" said Ulrich. "_I know here that the late night news isn't on yet._"

"_It's five o'clock in the morning,_" complained Nicolas. "_Some of us are trying to sleep here._"

"_Where are you anyway?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Russia,_" replied Nicolas. "_Didn't I tell you I was going to visit family for a few weeks?_"

"_Sorry to cut in on your family time and your beauty rest, Nicolas,_" said Ulrich. "_But we have a big problem._"

"_What would that be?_" yawned Nicolas.

"_Don't laugh and don't tell Eva, but Yumi and Kayla have been kidnapped by a vampire,_" said Ulrich.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long moment.

"_Hey, Nicolas, are you still there?_" asked Ulrich. "_I'm running up the long distance minutes with you, you know that?_"

"_A vampire?_" asked Nicolas. "_And the girls are missing? And you don't want me to tell Eva?_"

"_Not right now,_" said Ulrich. "_She'll have a fit! Besides, the investigators said that it was a vampire, not us. All I know for sure is that one minute we were standing up and the next we're picking ourselves off the ground with no idea of how we got there. Please, Nicolas, we need your help._"

"_What do you want me to do?_" asked Nicolas.

"_What can you tell us about where vampires live?_" asked Ulrich.

"_You would think I know?_" asked Nicolas.

"_Nicolas, you're the only person we know who has any knowledge about the supernatural,_" said Ulrich. "_Please, tell us something, anything!_"

"_Okay,_" said Nicolas. "_They like old buildings, castles if they can find one._"

"_Well, there aren't any castles in Gotham,_" said Ulrich.

"_What about old mansions and historic buildings?_" asked Nicolas.

"_I'm sure there are plenty here,_" said Ulrich.

"_Look for secluded places,_" said Nicolas. "_And if you feel like your skin is crawling, chances are you found the right place._"

"_What about ways to defeat them?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Stake through the heart always works,_" said Nicolas.

"_What about garlic?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Not as dependable,_" said Nicolas. "_Vampires probably built up an immunity over the centuries. But sunlight is a given._"

"_Thanks, Nicolas,_" said Ulrich.

"_Hold on, I almost forgot!_" Nicolas cried. "_There are also psychic vampires. These guys are just as bad as the bloodsuckers, but they feed off of emotions and willpower, sucking the life energy out of their victims. Same rules apply to them as sanguine vampires._"

William, who was leaning close to hear what Nicolas was saying, spoke up. "_What about powers? Can they turn lights on and off with a thought?_"

"_They have some serious powers,_" said Nicolas. "_I've heard everything from being able to change into bats, to different animals, to monsters, to having hypnotizing abilities. And if it's a psychic vampire, they may have more abilities that stem from being able to take life energy from their victims._"

"_We better hurry up and find Kayla and Yumi then,_" said William.

"_Thanks, Nicolas,_" said Ulrich.

"_Call me when you find out something,_" said Nicolas. "_I'll be awake. After this I don't know how I could sleep._"

Ulrich put his mobile away. "_Come on, William. Let's find our friends._"

"_How?_" asked William, looking around at all of the police. _"One of them will see us, won't they?_"

Ulrich thought about that one.

* * *

><p>It was a week after XANA had been defeated the first time. They did not know about Franz being in Eva's head yet. The eight of them were standing in the middle of the obstacle course, dressed in their gym clothes.<p>

"Why are we still doing this?" asked Odd. "XANA's gone. It's not like we need to practice drills every day now."

Eva turned to him. "Just because we don't have to fight XANA anymore, doesn't mean that you can't learn something and use it later in life."

"So what are you going to teach us?" asked William.

The corner of Eva's mouth twitched. "How to disappear."

"What?" asked Yumi.

"You're going to teach us that?" asked Ulrich.

"Great!" cried Odd. "Now I'll know when you're sneaking up on me."

"I thought it would be a useful skill to learn," said Eva.

"So, how do we do it?" asked Aelita.

"Disappear?" asked Jeremy with a slight scoff. "It's impossible, unless you're on LYOKO."

Kayla laughed. "Eva's been able to do this for as long as I've known her. And it's possible. I've done it once, but I think that was more luck than anything."

Odd clapped his hands together excitedly. "Tell us!"

"It's simple," said Eva. "You relax and wait for the right moment to disappear. Wait until no one is looking in your direction. Do not tense and do not run. Casually walk away."

"Just walk away?" asked Yumi.

"It's that simple?" asked Odd.

"Just walk until you are around a corner or you're in the shadows," said Eva. "It's harder when you have to do it in broad daylight, but you can do it with practice."

"But how does that keep people from seeing us?" asked Jeremy.

"If you are calm and casual about it, no one will take notice," said Eva. "People's eyes react to movement. The more rapid the movement, the more likely you'll be caught. If you are calm about it and simply walk away, chances are if someone does see you, they won't react right away."

"How are we going to practice this?" asked William.

"With a game of hide and seek," answered Eva. "One of us will go into town in a crowd and the rest of us will search them out. In the meantime, the person hiding will be trying to reach a certain destination."

"Okay," said Ulrich. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

><p>"<em>We'll disappear,<em>" said Ulrich.

"_Are you sure it will work_?" asked William.

Ulrich casually let the blanket he was wrapped in fall from his shoulders. _"We won't know until we try._"

William did the same.

The two of them stood up and walked to an alleyway, slipping into the shadows. No one saw them leave.

* * *

><p>Yumi woke up in pitch darkness. She groaned. Her head was pounding and her body felt like lead. She wondered what had happened. She lifted a hand to her head. Her elbow hit something solid.<p>

"Huh?"

Yumi reached up and found there was something in front of her. She felt around. Her fingers brushed silk and she could feel something hard under it. The space was narrow. She was in a box!

Yumi pounded her fists against the top of the box. Giving up after a few tries, she felt around her pockets for her mobile. It was still in her pocket. The light of the screen gave Yumi enough light to see in the dark. She wasn't in a box, she was in a coffin! The lid of the coffin was not just a piece of wood, but it had taken some craftsmanship to create the angled lid.

Yumi tried to call for help on her mobile, but she found that she had no signal. She moved the mobile around the coffin to see if she could get one bar to send a text message to Ulrich. Nothing.

"Is someone there?" Yumi shouted. "Help!"

* * *

><p>Kayla woke up in the same situation. She used her mobile to see her tiny prison.<p>

"No," she whispered. "No. No, no!"

Kayla began beating on the sides and lid of the coffin, even scratching at the silk that lined it. She screamed and struggled.

* * *

><p>Yumi could hear someone shouting. It sounded like Kayla. It was Kayla. So, she was nearby. Yumi remembered that Kayla was claustrophobic and being in a coffin was probably terrifying for her.<p>

"Kayla!" shouted Yumi, hoping her friend could hear her. "Kayla!"

"_Let me out!_" Yumi heard Kayla shriek.

"_Kayla, calm down!_" Yumi yelled as loud as she could.

Yumi listened for a moment and found that Kayla was too terrified to hear her.

"_Shoot!_" muttered Yumi.

Something struck the lid of Kayla's coffin. Kayla screamed.

"I hear you are awake," said a hissing voice. "Don't like your accommodations? I'm sorry, but I do not have anything else for you. You will have to make do with this."

Yumi and Kayla strained to hear what was on the other side of their prisons. They only heard muffled footsteps.

"Now, you two just be quiet and get some rest," said the voice. "It will all be over soon."

Yumi felt like she was going to be sick.

"Oh, no," breathed Kayla.

They heard the footsteps receding.

"You will not suffer for long!" the voice called.

* * *

><p><strong>How are they going to get out of this? You'll just have to keep reading to find out.<strong>


	5. Noire Manor

**I included flashbacks in this chapter and the next, I think. If there's a line break and something doesn't make sense, like they're suddenly at Kayla's house or back at the school, it's a flash back. Enjoy and review.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William were currently hiding in a back alley with a tourist map of Gotham. William was trying to call Kayla, but all he got was that his call could not be completed. Ulrich was using a pocket flashlight to look at the map. The map had all the historical buildings listed.<p>

William let out an exasperated sound. _"I can't get even her voice mail. Her mobile must be in a dead zone or something._"

Ulrich pointed to a house on the map. "_I think this is where they are," he said. "Noire Manor._"

"_What makes you say that?_" asked William.

"_Nicolas said that they would be some place secluded,_" said Ulrich. "_This is the most isolated historical building in Gotham. If we're wrong, I don't know where else they could be._"

"_They'll be there,_" said William with an air of certainty.

"_How do you know?_" asked Ulrich.

"_I know they are there,_" said William.

Ulrich cracked a smile. "_You're being an optimist._"

"_Better than being a pessimist,_" said William. "_Let's go._"

"_It's on the other side of town!_" Ulrich said.

"_Then let's start running,_" said William, jogging out of the alley and down the street. "_You're a soccer player! You can make it!_"

* * *

><p>Batman and Jason were in the Bat Mobile. Jason had some sort of radar device in his hand.<p>

"Are you sure that thing's going to work?" asked Batman as he drove.

"I'm certain," said Jason. "Psychic vampires give off a unique energy signature because of their abilities. I have an energy reading coming from Noire Manor."

"Noire Manor?" repeated Batman. "That is far from where they were taken."

"Indeed," said Jason, "but cunning. While the police are searching the immediate vicinity, our vampire will be draining Kayla and Yumi."

Batman pushed the gas pedal closer to the floor and the Bat Mobile left a streak of red from its tail lights as it flew down the street.

* * *

><p>Yumi knew she had to get out of his coffin in one way or another. It was getting very warm in there. She took out her mobile and used its light to see the coffin lid. Yumi wiggled her fingers behind the silk and ripped it away to expose the wood.<p>

"_Let's see what I learned from the movies,_" Yumi muttered, knocking on the wood to find a weak point. "_And how tough I am._"

Yumi found a place in the wood where it was weaker than the rest. She positioned herself so she could get better access to the weak point. She rolled onto her chain belt uncomfortably. This gave Yumi an idea. Yumi wrapped the chain belt around her fingerless gloved hand. The chain should be able to chip away at the wood and make things easier. If not, Yumi's hand was going to hurt in the morning.

Yumi gave the wood a solid punch. The chain dug into her knuckles, her glove softening the impact slightly. She gave it another punch, and another. Yumi could see the wood chipping where she punched it. She rubbed at the wood with her chain belt and a few shavings fell onto her shirt.

"_Keep going, Yumi,_" she said to herself.

* * *

><p>Kayla had stopped pounding on the coffin and screaming. There was nothing she could do to get out. She was terrified of small spaces. She didn't know how she was going to get out. Was she going to die in this little space, alone in the dark? Kayla didn't want to think about that.<p>

"_Find a happy place,_" she whispered. "_Find a happy place._"

Kayla's mind drifted away from the horror she was trapped in to a time before she knew LYOKO existed, before she moved and began attending Kadic, before she knew Eva as well as she did now.

* * *

><p>Kayla and Eva were sitting at Kayla's kitchen table. As usual, Kayla's parents weren't home. Kayla was wrapping Eva's ankle after she twisted it from a hard fall from a high place. Eva's right eye was a sickening shade of green as her shiner from the other day was going down.<p>

"You certainly know how to get yourself in trouble," said Kayla. "What did you do this time?"

"I have to eat," said Eva. "My parents don't feed me."

Kayla looked up at her. "So you're stealing food?"

"If it's in the trash, it's fair game," said Eva.

"Ew!" cried Kayla. "You're eating out of trash cans?"

"Yeah," Eva said. "I've been doing it for years. I feel better eating out of the trash than stealing from a store shelf. I did what I had to do for Mackenzie and me to survive. Thieving included."

Kayla saw Eva wince at Mackenzie's name. Her hollow dark eyes became distant with the memory. Kayla was glad that Eva was talking about Mackenzie more. It had been three months since they first met, since Mackenzie died. Eva needed to start the grieving process somewhere. Kayla found that talking about it made things easier, although she wasn't sure that it was working for Eva.

"If you need something to eat, you can always come here," said Kayla. "A twelve year old shouldn't be eating out of trash cans."

Eva looked at Kayla, not saying anything. To Kayla, it looked like Eva was deciding whether she should accept the offer. "That would be nice," Eva finally said.

Kayla grinned and went back to wrapping Eva's ankle. "Aren't you afraid of getting sick from eating out of the garbage?"

"No," replied Eva.

"Aren't you afraid of anything?" asked Kayla. "You run around town in the middle of the night, you hang around dangerous people, and your parents. . ." Kayla trailed off. She wasn't sure if she should have said anything about Eva's parents.

Eva was giving Kayla a patient look, waiting for Kayla to finish.

"And your parents aren't exactly parents," finished Kayla hesitantly.

"It doesn't scare me," said Eva. "I know I can take care of myself."

"Is there anything you're scared of?" asked Kayla. "Spiders? Rats? Heights?"

Eva did not answer. Kayla took this as a sign of guarding her weakness. Why should Eva tell Kayla what her fears were? Kayla knew Eva was paranoid, she had to be to live with people who would beat her without thinking. Eva probably thought that if she told Kayla, Kayla could use it against her.

"I'm claustrophobic," Kayla said. "I hate inclosed spaces."

Eva frowned at Kayla. "You're afraid of small places?"

Kayla smiled. "You wouldn't think that just by looking at me, would you?"

"No," said Eva.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Kayla.

"What makes you think I'm afraid of something?" asked Eva.

"Everyone is afraid of something," said Kayla. "What scares you, Eva?"

Eva looked out the kitchen window. "Being alone," she answered in a quiet voice.

"Being by yourself?" asked Kayla. "You mean, being alone in a room?"

"No, being utterly alone, having no family, no friends," clarified Eva.

"Is that why you stay in that house?" asked Kayla.

"I stay there because I can still hear her," said Eva. "I can still feel her in bed beside me."

"Mackenzie," said Kayla.

Eva nodded, looking away. Kayla could see that she was trying not to cry.

"Well, now my claustrophobia seems like something stupid," Kayla said. "What a chicken I am!"

Eva turned back to Kayla. "A fear fears you. You know that, right?"

"A fear fears me?" repeated Kayla.

Eva nodded. "It fears you more than you fear it because if you face your fear, it loses its power over you and you can beat it."

"A fear fears me," Kayla said again. She laughed. "I never thought of it that way."

* * *

><p>"<em>A fear fears me,<em>" whispered Kayla to herself. "_It fears me._"

* * *

><p>The Bat Mobile pulled up to the front gates of Noire Manor. The manor was built on a hill in a heavily wooded area. The lane on the other side of the front gates wound about the property for about half a mile.<p>

"This is it," said Jason.

Batman pulled the Bat Mobile around so it was facing the gates. "Hold on, Blood." He drove the Bat Mobile through the front gates. Batman turned off the lights and they drove up to the manor.

Noire Manor was a large estate. The manor house was black, earning its name Noire Manor. For a building where no one lived for many years, it was in good condition.

"The Gotham Historical Society keeps up with the repairs," Batman told Jason.

Jason was consulting his device. "This is the place. The energy readings are off the chart. We will have to tread carefully. How do you want to approach this?"

"Let's try the front door," said Batman.

The two men walked onto the front porch. Batman reached for the brass doorknocker. He knocked twice. No answer.

"No one's home," said Batman.

The floor fell out from under them and they fell down a chute.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William were panting when they reached Noire Manor.<p>

"_Someone was here before us,_" said William. "_Check out the gates._"

"_Looks like someone drove through them,_" said Ulrich.

"_Come on,_" said William, clapping Ulrich on the back.

* * *

><p>Batman and Jason sat up on a stone floor.<p>

"Shouldn't have expected a warm welcome," said Batman. He turned to Jason. "Are you all right, Blood?"

"I'm fine," said Jason, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. He looked around their surroundings. "We appear to be in a dungeon."

There was a stairwell leading to a door above them. Batman walked up to the door and tried the handle. He founded it locked. Batman took a small explosive charge from his utility belt and stuck it on the door. He stepped away from it. The tiny charge exploded and the door opened.

* * *

><p>Yumi was still beating on the coffin lid. She could no longer hear Kayla screaming. Hopefully Kayla had just calmed herself and hadn't had a panic attack and fainted.<p>

"_Come on!_" Yumi said through clenched teeth, continuing to pound away at the lid.

Kayla heard faint footsteps. She became alert and listened closely.

"Come now, my dears," came that hissing voice from earlier.

Yumi stopped beating on the coffin lid.

"Are you still trying to escape? You have determination, I will give you that. The others let fear consume them."

Kayla heard a hissing sigh.

"The ones who fear are the most delicious," the voice continued. "But you two are far stronger than the others. Your life energy will make us more powerful than we could have thought."

There was a pause.

"Ah, someone is trying to rescue you. How sweet!" said the voice. "Too bad they won't be able to."

Kayla took a chance. "And why do you say that?"

Something made her coffin shudder. There was a weight on it.

"My dear, this place is a labyrinth created by the mental energy of many," answered the voice. "Only those who have a strong will ever leave this place and there must be ones far stronger to defeat us."

Kayla heard the footsteps retreat a few steps.

"Besides, you will be too far gone for help even if these intruders manage to find you," said the voice.

There was a dark chuckle and the footsteps left the room.

* * *

><p>Batman and Jason were walking through the corridors, Batman leading with a flashlight in one hand. The corridors were decorated with items from different time periods: shields, suits of armor, tapestries.<p>

Batman spied a dark purple crystal in a torch holder on the wall.

"Blood, what is this?" Batman asked.

Jason examined the crystal. He looked down the corridor and saw more crystals in torch holders. "These crystals channel psychic energy and manipulate reality," explained Jason.

"Manipulate reality?" asked Batman. "So this vampire could have us walking in circles?"

"This is far more dangerous than that," said Jason. "The vampire is not the only one who can use these crystals. We can summon our own worst fears from our subconscious and be forced to fight them."

"But we can also use these against the vampire," said Batman.

Jason nodded.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William managed to get to the end of the lane. They stared at Noire Manor.<p>

"_Whoa,_" breathed William.

"_Do you feel like your skin is crawling?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Yeah,_" replied William.

"_Then this is it,_" said Ulrich.

"_Looks like someone is already here,_" said William, pointing the Bat Mobile. "_Jason and the man he was with, the man in the mask. Batman, right? I remember reading something about him. He's a superhero._"

"_So where is he?_" asked Ulrich. "_It's too quiet._"

"_Think he needs some help?_" asked William with a cocky smile.

Ulrich smiled back. "_Let's find out._"

The two of them ran up to the house and began looking for opened windows. They thought it was best not to use the front door.

"Ulrich," whispered William.

Ulrich turned to William. William pointed up to the second floor. There was an opened window.

William began to climb a rain spout. He crawled in through the opened window. Ulrich followed him up, making sure not to look down.

"_You okay?_" asked William, helping Ulrich in.

"_Yeah,_" replied Ulrich.

They looked around the room. They were in a bedroom.

William took out a pocket flashlight and turned it on. "_Come on,_" he whispered to Ulrich.

* * *

><p>Yumi gave the coffin lid one more hard punch. The wood splintered and her fist shot into the air.<p>

"_Yes!_" she cheered quietly.

Yumi pulled her arm back in and began pulling at the wood, trying to create a larger opening. She managed to get her foot up and enlarged the hole by kicking it. When she had just enough room to get her head and shoulders through, Yumi crawled out.

Yumi jumped over to Kayla's coffin and pulled at the lock. She needed a key. Or a hairpin. Yumi took out a hairpin from her pocket. If Hiroki could pick locks, so could she. A moment later the lock clicked and opened. Yumi threw open the coffin lid.

Kayla jumped up and hugged Yumi. Yumi hugged her back.

"_Let's not do this again,_" whimpered Kayla. "_That was worse than when the cafeteria caved in on us._"

"_I agree,_" said Yumi, helping Kayla out of the coffin.

Kayla saw Yumi's hand. "Yumi!" Kayla grabbed Yumi's injured hand. The skin was broken and rubbed raw, the chain belt having bitten into the skin.

"_It's fine,_" said Yumi.

"_No, it's not,_" said Kayla. "_You probably fractured your knuckles._"

"_I wouldn't be surprised,_" Yumi said, grimacing as Kayla examined her hand. "_This can wait until later._"

"_I'll take care of it now,_" said Kayla. Kayla took off her wrap and ripped it to make bandages. She wrapped Yumi's injured hand.

"_Let's go,_" said Kayla when she was finished. Kayla wrapped what remained of the shredded garment around her neck, another thing she learned from Eva: take anything that could lead someone to you with you until you could safely get rid of it.

The two girls ran out of the room.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William were still quietly moving around the second floor. They were not finding anything that could lead them to Yumi and Kayla.<p>

"_What now?_" asked William.

"_I don't know,_" answered Ulrich. He took out his mobile. "_I don't have service. This is probably why we weren't able to contact either of them._"

"_Then our parents can't contact us either,_" said William.

"_Good for us,_" said Ulrich. "_After all, we did take off without telling them anything._"

"_Not our smartest move,_" said William. He sighed. "_I wish we had covered something like this in Eva's lessons._"

* * *

><p>The eight of them were standing in the dorm hallway.<p>

"Tell me what you see," Eva said.

"What's to see?" asked Odd. "It's a hallway."

"Wrong," said Eva.

Kayla put her hands on her hips. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a lesson in observation?"

"Because it is," said Eva. "There are going to be times when you are going to be in an unfamiliar place and all you're going to be able to rely upon for answers is your observation skills."

"Odd's out of luck there," said Ulrich, jokingly.

"Hey!" yelled Odd in indignation.

Eva turned to Kayla, waiting.

"The only people who are here are us," Kayla said with a smile. "No one else has been through here recently."

"How recent is recent?" asked Eva.

"A few seconds," answered Kayla.

"How do you know?" asked Eva.

Kayla pointed to the doors. "They aren't swinging."

"It's a start," said Eva. "Someone could still be here, listening from one of the dorms with their ear pressed against the door."

"That's true," said Aelita.

"Look for little things," said Eva. "It's the little things that most people miss."

"Like when you found the scorch marks on the pipes!" said Yumi. "Remember when Jim was electrocuted by XANA? You saw the scorch marks! We would have never thought to look there."

"Hey, you're right!" said Ulrich.

"Little things like scuffs or dust voids can be great helps," said Eva.

* * *

><p>"'<em>It's the little things that most people miss,'<em>" whispered Ulrich.

"_What?_" asked William.

"_Start looking for anything that could tell us something,_" said Ulrich. "_Any little thing will help._"

"_Like what?_" asked William.

"_Remember Eva's observation lesson?_" asked Ulrich.

"'_It's the little things that most people miss,'_" said William, his face brightening with understanding.

Ulrich and William looked up and down the corridor, searching for any clue that would lead to where Kayla and Yumi were.

William tapped Ulrich on the shoulder and pointed to scuff marks on the floor next to a bookcase. The two exchanged looks. William went over and pressed against the bookcase. It moved, following the scuff marks. Behind it was a secret passageway.

"_What do you think?_" asked William.

Ulrich answered by entering the passageway.

* * *

><p>Yumi and Kayla quickly moved through the corridors. It was difficult to do in the dark, but thanks to being in the dark for so long, their eyes had adjusted.<p>

Yumi heard Kayla whimper.

"_What?_" she asked.

"_I thought I had gotten over my fear of the dark,_" said Kayla.

"_Come on_," said Yumi, pushing Kayla over to an alcove with torch holders on either side. The purple crystals gave off a very soft light. "_Let's take a break. Try to come up with a plan. I think we are far enough away from that room that we are safe._" Yumi gave a dry laugh. "_Safe. Funny, right?_"

Kayla gave a humorless smile.

"_So you are afraid of the dark?_" asked Yumi.

"_I used to be,_" said Kayla. "_I started to stop fearing it after Eva began coming by my house in the middle of the night. She would climb up on the roof to get in through my window._"

"_I guess you would get used to that,_" said Yumi.

"_At first I wasn't,_" said Kayla. "_Eva eventually taught me that a fear fears you more than you fear it._"

Yumi mulled the idea over for a moment. "_Guess you're right._"

"_Well, at first it didn't work so well,_" said Kayla. "_Then she taught me a trick she taught Mackenzie. She said to think of something to combat the fear and become that thing._"

"_What did you become to face the fear?_" asked Yumi.

"_A bat_," replied Kayla. "_Bats can see in the dark._" Kayla gave a small smile. "_I wouldn't choose a bat any longer. I think no matter what I fear, I will always choose the same thing._"

Yumi tilted her head. "_And what would that be?_"

"_Myself as a LYOKO warrior,_" answered Kayla.

Yumi could understand that. On LYOKO they had the power to do the impossible. They could take down monsters twice their size and they could stop the danger created by XANA no matter what it was. If she had a fear, Yumi would use her LYOKO self to combat it, too, just like Kayla. But the fear she feared at the moment was being caught by whoever kidnapped them and without LYOKO, Yumi wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this.

"_I think I can —_" started Yumi.

"Shh!" hissed Kayla. "_Do you hear that?_"

Yumi and Kayla listened intently. There was a squeaking noise. As they listened longer, the sound became louder. Down the corridor, hundreds of pairs of red eyes lit up the dark as the floor moved.

"_Rats!_" breathed Kayla.

The girls jumped up and began to run back the way they came. Looking over their shoulders, they could see the rats following them.

"_I hate rats!"_ Yumi panted.

Kayla looked around for a way to escape the red-eyed rodents. She wished there was some place where they could get away from the horde chasing them. A statue of an angel in an alcove caught Kayla's attention. The statue was moving! It was turning to reveal a passageway behind it!

Kayla grabbed Yumi's arm. "_In here!_" she said, pushing Yumi behind the statue.

The girls grabbed it and pulled it back into place. They could hear the rats scratching at the wall to get through.

"_Do you think they can get through?_" asked Yumi.

Kayla thought for a moment. "_If rats can chew through steel, I think they can get through stone as well._" She ran her hand over the wall. "_These walls are thick. I don't think they can chew through this any time soon._"

"_That's a relief,_" said Yumi.

"_Man, you would think something like that would happen during a XANA attack,_" said Kayla.

"_It did happen,_" said Yumi. "_It was when we first started going to LYOKO, before we could bring Aelita to Earth. XANA possessed a horde of rats and tried to kill us with them. I've had a hatred of rats ever since._"

"_And yet you still took the sewer route?_" asked Kayla.

"_It was my petty hatred or the world,_" said Yumi.

Kayla simply shrugged.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William were still in the secret passageway Ulrich had found. Ulrich took a step and his foot met open air. He let out a yell.<p>

"Ulrich!" cried William, dropping the flashlight. William grabbed Ulrich and pulled him back to keep from falling.

Ulrich stared down. "_Oh! Oh, boy!_" He felt dizzy. It was a very long drop to the bottom, so long that he couldn't see it.

William pulled Ulrich back a few steps. "_You're okay,_" he told him. "_It's okay._"

Ulrich sat down, his back against the wall.

"_You okay?_" asked William.

"Mm-hmm," answered Ulrich, putting his hand to his head.

"_This place is probably rigged for traps all over,_" said William.

Ulrich got to his feet. "_We'll have to treat it like Sector Five and that XANA is in control._"

"_Let's find another way,_" said William, picking up the flashlight. "_Maybe we passed a hallway or a room._" He looked around. "_Hey, Ulrich. Looks like there's a door right here._"

Ulrich turned and saw the wooden door William was looking at. He opened the door and the two of them proceeded with caution.


	6. Inner Strength

Batman and Jason were still wandering around.

"We are going in circles," said Batman. "There has to be a staircase somewhere."

"The crystals are manipulating the manor," said Jason. "If the vampire wills it, we will not find the staircase."

"So how do we get out?" asked Batman.

"By manipulating the manor," said Jason. "I may be able to use the energy in the crystals and force the staircase to be revealed to us."

"It's worth a try," said Batman. "What do you need to do?"

"I need to be able to concentrate," said Jason. "Keep an eye out for whatever our host may send along."

Batman took a Bat-arang from his belt.

Jason closed his eyes and concentrated. He used his own psychic energy to combat the vampire's energy.

Batman looked up and down the corridor, watching and listening for anything that could attack them. There was soft sound, like a breeze. Batman turned and saw a tapestry disappear and reveal a staircase.

Jason groaned and fell to his knees.

"Blood!" Batman knelt down beside Jason. "Are you all right?"

"Quickly," said Jason, getting to his feet. "Before it disappears again."

Jason and Batman quickly ran up the stairs to the next level. It was there Jason collapsed to the floor. Batman knelt beside him.

"I am fine," panted Jason. "I just need to rest for a moment."

"What happened?" asked Batman.

"Our vampire has a lot of power," explained Jason. "He was using it to hide the stairs from us. I was able to overpower him for a moment so we could get to the stairs."

"We may need Etrigan soon if this keeps up," said Batman.

Jason nodded. He got to his feet. "We should keep moving. The vampire will know that we escaped the level below."

Jason put a hand to his head and winced.

"Blood, you should rest more," said Batman, supporting his friend.

"I fear we do not have the time," said Jason. "We need to move now."

* * *

><p>Yumi and Kayla were looking for a staircase to get up to the next floor. There was a chill behind them. Yumi and Kayla whirled around and saw nothing. They looked at each other, seeing if the other had felt it.<p>

Both girls were suddenly grabbed from behind, their arms pinned to their sides.

"Let go!" yelled Yumi.

"Not so fast, my dears," said the hissing voice they heard while they were in the coffins.

"You managed to escape us," said another hissing voice, the same as the first, but coming from behind Kayla.

"_Twins!_" realized Kayla.

Yumi turned her head and saw that Kayla was right. They had been grabbed by two identical looking men. They both had black hair slicked back, cold dark eyes, and malicious smirks. They were dressed in black suits from the Victorian era.

"You two are powerful," said the one behind Kayla. "Never before have we found ones so strong. And we have lived a long time, haven't we, Armand?"

"Yes, indeed we have, Philip," said the one behind Yumi. "You were able to use the crystals to escape your fear. It takes someone with a strong mind to use those crystals to manipulate reality."

"These two we must watch carefully," said Philip. "Out of the six in the manor, these two are the most dangerous."

"Six?" asked Kayla.

"Your friends came to rescue you," said Armand. "Isn't that romantic?"

Kayla and Yumi turned to each other in horror. Two of them had to be Ulrich and William. But who were the other two?

"Let's take these two to the dining hall," said Philip. "They deserve something to eat after all the hard work they put in, don't you think?"

"Starving victims do little to satisfy our hunger," said Armand.

Kayla and Yumi were carried off, kicking and thrashing all the way.

* * *

><p>The passageway Ulrich and William were using ended in a dead-end.<p>

"_Don't tell me we have to turn around and walk all the way back the way we came,_" said Ulrich.

William walked up to the wall and put his hand on it. "_Hey, Ulrich. Check this out._"

"_What?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Put your hand here,_" said William, stepping aside.

Ulrich placed his hand where William had his.

"_Do you feel that?_" asked William with a glimmer in his eye.

Ulrich felt a draft on the side of his hand. "_This is a door,_" he said.

"_Help me find the handle,_" said William.

Ulrich and William ran their fingers along the stone of the wall. They followed the draft and began prodding for a switch. It was Ulrich who felt a sudden shift in a stone and the wall opened.

On the other side was a sitting room. Ulrich and William stepped into the room and William closed the door behind them.

"_Where now?_" asked William.

Ulrich walked to the window and looked out. "_I think we are on the other side of the manor,_" he said. "_On the third floor._"

"_Third?_" asked William. "_Are you sure?_" He came over and looked out the window. They were indeed on the third floor. "_How is that possible?_"

"_This place is a labyrinth,_" said Ulrich. "_Just like Sector Five, it confuses us, making sure we can't find our way out._"

"_We need to think like the LYOKO warriors we are,_" said William.

* * *

><p>Yumi and Kayla sat at a long table laden with a feast fit for royalty. Candles were lit all along the table for light. Their captures were sitting at either end of the table. They were eating from their gold plates.<p>

"Come now, ladies," said Armand. "You must be hungry. Please, eat."

Yumi and Kayla looked at each other. Should they eat? Apparently they wanted them alive and healthy for whatever they were going to do.

"Who are you?" asked Yumi.

"Us?" asked Philip. "How rude of us, brother. We never properly introduced ourselves. We are Philip and Armand, psychic vampire brothers."

Yumi looked at the food on Philip's plate. "I thought vampires only drank blood."

Armand chuckled. "Us psychic vampires survive a little bit differently. All we require are live humans. We take their psychic energy, their life force. As for dining like kings, we only do it when we feel like it."

"Or when we have exceptional guests," said Philip. "We have never had anyone escape before. The new generation must be far stronger than we expected it to be. Strong minds mean potent energy for us, enough to keep us satisfied for a long time."

"Those other girls pale in comparison to you," said Armand.

Kayla looked at Yumi.

"_Any ideas?_" asked Yumi.

"_Don't bother. We understand many languages,_" said Philip.

Kayla bit her lip. She looked from Philip to Armand. Both had smug looks on their faces. They knew that Yumi and Kayla couldn't do a thing to escape from them.

Yumi saw several purple crystals in torch holders along the walls. It gave her an idea. "Those crystals; what are they?"

"They channel psychic energy and manipulate reality," answered Armand. "It is how we control everything in Noire Manor."

"And everything around us," said Philip, rising from his chair. He walked over to Yumi and took her injured hand in his. He began to unwrap the makeshift bandage.

Yumi grimaced. "Hey, that hurts," she hissed.

"You punched your way out of your coffin," said Philip. "I would expect that it would hurt greatly."

Yumi grimaced again as Philip ran his fingers over her darkened, skinned knuckles. She gasped as she saw his eyes turn red and tried to pull her hand away. Philip's grip on her wrist was too strong.

"Let go of her!" Kayla jumped up from her chair only to have Armand force her back down.

"Hush," he whispered in her ear. "Sit and watch."

Kayla struggled against Armand, but she could not escape him. She looked at Yumi, helpless to do anything.

Yumi was gaping at her hand. It was healing! The skin grew over the scrapes and the bruises vanished. Philip, satisfied, kissed Yumi's hand before releasing it. Yumi yanked her hand away.

"That's not all we can do," said Armand, unwinding what remained of Kayla's wrap from around her neck. He held it out and gave it a shake. It was in one piece again. "Here, now that's fit for a lady." Armand wound it around Kayla's neck again. He put his hands on her shoulders.

Kayla didn't like this. She didn't want Armand touching her. Kayla jerked away, not expecting for him to let go, but Armand let out a gasp of surprise as she retched free. He smirked.

"Feisty, aren't you?" he said. "It would not take much to train you in our ways."

Kayla clenched her hands in her lap. What could face the fear, these men, these vampires who captured them? Kayla stifled a gasp when she saw her hands change, gold fingerless gloves appearing briefly. This gave her an idea. She looked up at Yumi.

"_How would Phantasm play this?_" Kayla asked Yumi.

"Did you not hear us the first time?" asked Armand with a laugh. "We can understand what you are saying."

Yumi paid no attention to them. She was looking at Kayla. "_Any way she can._"

The vampires frowned at them.

Kayla remembered what it felt like to go to LYOKO, how her body changed and how the power felt. She remembered what she looked like, what she could do.

Philip and Armand gasped as Kayla transformed. "What?" they yelled in unison.

Armand made a grab for Kayla, but Kayla jumped into the air above Armand's head. She delivered a powerful kick to his shoulder as she came down. Armand fell onto the chair and broke it.

Philip dove across the table for Kayla. Kayla stepped out of the way and let him fall on his face.

"_Come on!_" Kayla called to Yumi.

They ran for the door.

"_How did you do that?_" asked Yumi, running alongside Kayla down the corridor.

"_I thought about what they said about it not taking much to be able to train me in their ways,_" said Kayla. "_I think I created the escape route from the rats. And just now, I thought about my LYOKO powers and how much I wanted them._"

"_You think I could do that, too?_" asked Yumi.

"_Won't hurt to try,_" said Kayla, glancing over her shoulder to see if they were being followed.

It took a moment, but Yumi managed to change into her LYOKO form. She made her fans appear in her hands.

"_This is good,_" said Yumi, putting them back. "_At least we have a way to fight them now._"

"_Let's find Ulrich and William first,_" said Kayla. "_They have to be somewhere around here._"

Behind them, they heard a loud screech.

"_I have a feeling that they are not very happy with us right now,_" said Yumi.

"Uh-huh," replied Kayla.

* * *

><p>Batman and Jason both heard the screech. It sounded like it was right above them.<p>

"Sounds like something isn't very happy," said Batman.

"That's a vampire's screech," said Jason. "It's angry. Perhaps the girls have escaped."

"Makes our job finding the vampire much easier," said Batman.

Batman threw a Bat-arang up at the ceiling. The ceiling exploded, exposing the floor above them. Using a grappling hook and cable, Batman and Jason went up to the floor above them. There was another screech.

"This way!" Batman said, running in the direction of the screech.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William heard the screeches, too. They sounded like they were coming from below them.<p>

"_What was that?_" asked Ulrich.

"_Whatever it was, it doesn't sound friendly,_" said William.

"_I think that vampire just found out that Kayla and Yumi aren't damsels in distress,_" said Ulrich. "_Let's find a way down to them._"

* * *

><p>Kayla and Yumi were still running.<p>

"_There has to be a door leading out of here somewhere!_" said Yumi.

"_I'm sure there is,_" said Kayla. "_But remember, those guys control everything in here._"

"_So can we,_" said Yumi. "_Maybe if we think about a door like you did when we were running from the rats, one will appear._"

Before they could think about a door, there was a yell from behind them. Yumi and Kayla looked at each other. Someone was in trouble! They turned and started running back the way they came.

* * *

><p>"Jason!" yelled Batman.<p>

Jason Blood was currently lying face-down on the floor. Something had struck him from behind. Batman looked around, searching for their assailant.

"We were going to save you for last," hissed a voice. "But those little brats caused us to change our plans."

"We?" parroted Batman.

Armand and Philip appeared. Their eyes were red and their teeth were bared.

"So there are two of you," said Batman. "That explains why there were so many victims."

"Finding girls who would satisfy our appetites in this city was difficult," said Armand. "Many were weak-minded and did not possess much psychic energy."

"We soon found that the younger the better when it came to a feeding source," said Philip. "Now with those two on the run, we need energy to catch them. They've proven themselves worthy of a hunt, but they are difficult."

Armand pounced on Batman and wrestled him to the ground. Batman punched Armand in the face, but it only made the vampire angry.

Philip picked Jason off the floor and held him up by his shirt collar. Jason was just coming to his senses. He saw Philip bare his teeth. There was a strange bluish glow coming from Jason as his strength was being sucked away.

"You will do quite nicely," said Philip, savoring the energy he was stealing. "You are very strong. I may not need the girls."

A red circular object came flying through the corridor and cut Philip's arm. Philip let out a shriek and dropped Jason, retreating into the shadows. The object flew back to where it came and Yumi caught it.

Kayla slammed her foot into Armand's side, sending him flying.

"Are you okay?" Kayla asked Batman.

"I'm fine," answered Batman.

Yumi ran over to Jason. "Kayla, I think he needs some help."

Kayla ran over to Jason and checked his vitals. "He'll be fine."

"But you won't be!" Philip appeared from the shadows and tackled Kayla. "You want to play rough, girl? We'll play rough!"

Yumi kicked Philip and knocked him away from Kayla. Kayla jumped up and grabbed the baton at her belt. She changed it into her mace.

Meanwhile, Batman was facing Armand. Armand kept disappearing and reappearing, causing Batman some problems.

Philip pinned Yumi to the ground. Kayla came up to him and slammed her mace into his back. He let out a yelp and vanished. Philip reappeared next to Jason.

"I need more energy!" he hissed.

"No!" Kayla turned her mace into her morning star and swung. The gold cable extended, the spiked ball hitting Philip squarely in the back. Philip collapsed to the floor.

"Witch!" he shouted at her.

Batman threw a punch at Armand, but the vampire disappeared. Batman turned and saw him reappear behind Kayla, wrapping his arm around her neck.

"You think you can hurt my brother and get away with it?" he snarled.

Kayla's leg snapped up and over her shoulder, her foot hitting Armand in the face. Armand staggered back, stunned. Kayla spun around and kicked him in the side. Armand fell to his knees.

Both vampires looked up and disappeared.

"Where did they go?" asked Yumi.

"I don't know," said Kayla, looking around.

"They probably retreated for the time being," said Batman. "The one kept saying that he needed more energy."

"That's why he attacked your friend," said Kayla, kneeling over Jason.

Jason woke to see Batman and two girls standing over him.

"How are you feeling, Blood?" asked Batman.

Jason sat up and rubbed his head. "I have felt better."

Kayla let out a sigh of relief.

"Glad to see you're okay," said Yumi. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"You two are Kayla Olson and Yumi Ishiyama, right?" asked Batman.

The girls nodded.

"Your friends told us that you were abducted," said Batman. "We came to rescue you. Although it seems that we were the ones in danger."

Kayla quirked a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "William and Ulrich!"

"That's right, they're here, too!" cried Yumi. "We have to find them before Armand and Philip do."

"William and Ulrich are here?" asked Batman. "How do you know?"

"Because the vampires told us," said Yumi.

"And you believe them?" asked Batman.

Yumi and Kayla looked at Batman.

"You don't know our friends," said Yumi. "This is something they would do. But I want to know how they figured out where we were."

"We can worry about that later," said Kayla. "Let's find them."


	7. Fight in Sector Five

Ulrich stopped in his tracks.

"_What's wrong?_" asked William, stopping as well.

Ulrich had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had been feeling it since they saw Noire Manor, but now the feeling was more intense. It was almost like the feeling he got when there was a XANA attack, that panicky, race against time or the whole world could be destroyed feeling. It also felt like when Eva was around and staring at him, though most of the time Ulrich never noticed she was there until she said something.

* * *

><p>"Hyper vigilance can be very helpful," Eva said to Ulrich as they took a walk around the woods after lights out.<p>

Odd was being a pest and Kiwi kept getting under foot. Ulrich had intended to just take a shower, but instead snuck down to see Eva to see if she was up. She always was up so it was no surprise when she answered the door. She was just going out for a run herself.

"But it can also be a curse," Eva added.

"Like you with trying to sleep at night?" asked Ulrich.

"Every night I have to tell myself that everything's okay and I can sleep in peace," said Eva. "It doesn't always help. Usually when the air conditioning switches on in the early morning I can go to sleep. White noise does that to me."

"We should get you one of those sound devices with the ocean waves or something," said Ulrich.

"Not while XANA is around," said Eva. "I need to be up at a moment's notice."

"So you were saying about hyper vigilance," prompted Ulrich.

"A blessing and a curse," said Eva. "You can feel when someone is watching you or when someone is planning something."

"You just look at them for that," said Ulrich.

"I look at the eyes and I can tell what they are thinking," said Eva. "I had to learn that to know when to make myself scarce or when to brace myself."

"So how will I know when someone is watching me?" asked Ulrich.

"You'll know," said Eva. "You can feel it."

* * *

><p>"<em>We're being watched,<em>" Ulrich whispered to William.

William stiffened and let his eyes glance around before turning to Ulrich.

"_Wouldn't we have heard them?_" William asked.

"_We didn't hear it the first time,_" said Ulrich. He wished he had his sabers or something. Ulrich felt a weird pulse in his body, almost like when he went to LYOKO and gained his enhanced abilities. "_What the?_"

"_What's wrong?_" asked William.

Ulrich was about to answer when he saw a shadow move. He grabbed the flashlight from William and pointed up at the ceiling.

"_What?_" asked William.

"_I thought I saw something,_" said Ulrich. "_I thought I felt something, too._"

William paled. "_So it wasn't just me,_" he said.

Ulrich tensed. "_What are the odds that we're both wrong?_" He shook his head. "_Eva's lessons are really coming in handy._"

William took the flashlight back from Ulrich. "_We should keep moving,_" William whispered.

Ulrich nodded.

They pressed on.

They did not get far before they exchanged looks again. They both could feel someone following them. Ulrich couldn't help but be reminded of the monsters on LYOKO when they were being stalked. His hands kept itching to go behind his back and grab his sabers.

William glanced over at Ulrich to see if he was still with him. There was a strange shadow on Ulrich's hand, a dark brown color that was making its way up his arm.

"Ulrich!" whispered William, pointing to his arm.

Ulrich looked down and gasped. He ran his fingers over the shadow. "_This is —_"

Ulrich was interrupted by something pouncing on him. William let out a yell he was thrown to the floor as well. The flashlight rolled off to a corner.

"So you too know how to use the power of the crystals!" hissed a voice in Ulrich's ear. Armand had his weight on Ulrich, pinning in him to the floor. "We usually don't go after boys, but in your case we'll make an exception."

William struggled with Philip. "It was you! You took Kayla and Yumi!" he said.

"That was us," said Philip. "And the little brats outsmarted us. But now we'll see how tough they are when their dearest friends are put in jeopardy."

"No!" yelled William, struggling harder. William wished he had that unnatural strength he possessed on LYOKO or the ability to turn to smoke. He had to get away. He had to help his friends. "Let go!"

Philip let out an alarmed cry as William turned to smoke. William reformed a few feet away in his LYOKO form, his massive sword balanced on his shoulder. William grabbed the sword with both hands and gave it a swing, intending to cut Philip's shoulder. Philip disappeared and William's sword smashed into the floor.

* * *

><p>Batman, Jason, Kayla, and Yumi heard the crash. The girls looked at each other.<p>

"I think those vampires bit off more than they could chew," said Kayla.

"The sound came from this direction," said Batman. "Hurry!"

* * *

><p>Ulrich took the brief moment that Armand was distracted and kicked him. Ulrich jumped up and instinctively reached for his sabers. His hands felt them behind his back. Ulrich drew his sabers and prepared to fight, taking notice that he was in his LYOKO form.<p>

Armand lunged for Ulrich.

"_Super sprint!_" said Ulrich. He sidestepped Armand and slashed at his back, cutting his clothes.

Armand let out a yell of frustration. "We need more energy!" Armand yelled to his twin.

Philip looked at William, ready to pounce. William saw the look and waited. Philip made his move, lunging for William. William simply turned to smoke and Philip jumped right through him. William reformed and used the flat of his blade to strike Philip, the force enough to shatter a normal person's bones. Philip was only bruised and dazed.

"We need a different approach, brother," said Philip.

"Yes, we do," said Armand. He gave a demonic smile. "Let's change the playing field."

"_I don't like where this is going,_" said Ulrich.

Armand rushed to Philip's side. "We will need our combined strength for this," he said.

Philip nodded.

The vampires' red eyes glowed brightly.

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Kayla cried as all the light was swallowed up.<p>

They felt themselves falling and everything went dark.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and William found themselves lying on a blue floor. The room was spinning around them. They looked up and made a correction: the floor was spinning. The entire room was blue and glowing with white light from below the floor.<p>

"This is Sector Five!" said Ulrich in shock.

"How?" asked William. "How could they possibly know about LYOKO?"

Four other people appeared on the floor, two the boys knew quite well.

"Kayla! Yumi!" said William.

Ulrich ran to Yumi and William ran to Kayla.

Yumi groaned. "Where are we?" she asked.

"_Sector Five,_" replied Ulrich.

Yumi jumped up. "_What?_"

Kayla heard as well. "_How is that possible? How could they know about LYOKO?_"

"They have the power to read minds and manipulate reality," said Jason, getting to his feet. "They must have read your minds and changed the manor to create this place."

"Nicolas said they could be nasty," said William.

"Nicolas?" asked Yumi. "When did you talk to Nicolas?"

"Ulrich called him once we heard Batman and Jason talking about a vampire taking you," said William.

Yumi and Kayla turned to Ulrich.

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Yumi.

"When Eva finds out about this she is going to have a fit!" said Kayla.

"Nicolas said that he wouldn't say anything until this was over," said Ulrich.

"And you believed him?" asked Yumi.

"Hey, I trust Nicolas," said Ulrich. "Not as much as others trust him, but if Eva can trust him to keep his mouth shut, so can I."

"Hello!" said Yumi. "This is Eva we're talking about. That girl has a sixth sense for trouble."

Kayla let out a heavy sigh. "What's done is done. We'll worry about it later. Right now, let's just figure out how to get out of here."

"We must find our way out of this place in order to escape," said Batman.

"That's something we can do," muttered Ulrich, turning to where the wall would open.

Yumi, William, and Kayla joined him.

"It's not the real Sector Five," said Yumi. "How do we want to play it?"

"We'll play it how we normally play it," said Ulrich. "If these guys can read minds, they probably threw all the traps and monsters in with it. We'll have to find the key."

Batman and Jason were confused.

"You know this place?" asked Batman.

"It's, uh, video game," said Yumi, coming up with a convincing lie on the spot. "We play it all the time."

"Kinda wish we had Jeremy here to help us," said William.

"Whoa, don't say that!" said Kayla. "We are pushing our luck as it is. Jeremy wouldn't make it, even with his powers."

"So what is this key?" asked Batman.

"It's a button that will stop the traps," said Ulrich. "It can be anywhere."

"And we only have three minutes to find it once the wall opens," said Yumi. "After that, Sector Five will close up and shift and the key will move."

"How do we get out?" asked Jason.

"We'll worry about that after we find the key," said Kayla. "If it's set up exactly like Sector Five, we may have a few ideas."

"And if it isn't how you remember?" asked Batman.

"Don't jinx it," growled Kayla.

The floor stopped turning.

"Ready?" asked Ulrich.

There were nods and grunts in reply.

The wall opened up and they started running through the corridor. They entered the main playing field of Sector Five. The floor was uneven, pillars rising to different heights.

"This could be rough," said Ulrich.

"Creepers love this type of environment," said Yumi. "Lots of shadows and lots of places to hide."

"Let's find the key," said Batman.

They began looking for the key.

"I don't see it from where I'm standing," said Yumi.

"I can get up higher and get a better look," said Kayla.

"Careful that you don't set off any traps," said William.

Kayla nodded. She used her super jump to leap onto one of the taller pillars. Kayla surveyed the room.

"I see it!" she cried, pointing. "It's on the other side of the room, but it's up high."

"Thanks, Sunshine," said William.

Ulrich glanced over at Jason. He took one of his sabers and handed it to Jason. "You may need this."

Jason put his hand up in refusal and shook his head. "I can take care of myself."

"Are you sure?" asked Ulrich.

Batman gave a short chuckle. "Worry more about the monsters you talk about than Jason Blood."

A quick knowing smile was shared between Batman and Jason.

"Suit yourself," said Ulrich sheathing the saber.

"We're wasting time," said Yumi.

The six of them dashed off in the direction of the key. They didn't make it half way across the room when laser fire began to pepper them.

"Creepers!" yelled Yumi, using her fans to deflect blasts.

"Take cover!" yelled William, batting laser fire away with his sword.

They all hid behind different pillars.

"Aim for their heads," Ulrich told Batman and Jason. "The spot that looks like an eye is their weak point. Damage that and it'll destroy them."

Yumi grunted as she threw her fan, taking out one of the creepers. Her fan returned to her and she turned to William.

William nodded. He charged up his sword with an energy blast and swung. The blast that came off the blade cut a creeper in half.

Batman threw an explosive Bat-arang and took out another creeper.

"This is not good," said Kayla. "We're probably the worst equipped to deal with creepers. Long distance battles aren't our strong suit, Yumi being the exception."

"Perhaps I can do something about that," said Jason. He took a step away from the pillar, not far enough for him to be shot, but far enough to cause some concern.

"What is he doing?" asked Ulrich, deflecting a laser shot right back at the creeper who fired it.

"Gone, gone the form of man," said Jason, fire consuming his body. "Rise the demon, Etrigan!"

Kayla let out a small scream as Jason transformed into a demon.

Etrigan jumped up on top of the pillar. "We do not have time for this game. Now you monsters shall taste my flame!"

The LYOKO warriors watched mouths agape as Etrigan spewed fire at the creepers. After Etrigan had finished off the monsters, he jumped back down.

William saw Batman's smirk. "You knew he could do that?" he asked, pointing to Etrigan.

"Yes," replied Batman.

"Little time does remain. We must not use it in vain," said Etrigan.

"The key!" cried Yumi.

Ulrich was a few steps ahead of them, dashing to the other end of the room and running up the wall. He pressed the key and it receded into the wall as he did a back flip. The wall next to the key opened to reveal the corridor leading to the elevator.

"Nice, Ulrich!" said William as the pillars sank into the floor.

Ulrich ran over to the corridor to wait for them.

Armand and Philip stood in a dark space watching the LYOKO warriors, Etrigan, and Batman in a mirror.

"Things aren't going as planned," said Philip.

"They are stronger than we anticipated, especially the demon," said Armand.

"Let's make things a bit more interesting," said Philip.

The scene zoomed in on Ulrich, who was turned and watching the others running over to him.

The wall slammed shut and the room began to change.

"What's going on?" asked Yumi.

"Ulrich, I thought you got to the key!" said William, beams from the walls shooting across the room.

The floor began to fall out from under them.

"Get up on the beams," said Yumi.

They all got up on the beams, except for Ulrich. The floor around the edges of the room was not changing.

"Maybe that wasn't the real key," said Batman.

"Maybe," said Yumi.

The wall that hid the corridor opened again.

Yumi frowned. "What is going on?"

Kayla had a better view where she was standing of Ulrich. She could also see down the corridor. There was something moving, but it wasn't a creeper.

There was a white flash that struck Ulrich and sent him flying, nearly falling into the white abyss that was now the floor.

"Ulrich!" shouted Batman. "Are you all right?"

Ulrich quickly looked over at what had hit him. He saw a dark figure about his height walking out of the corridor. The figure wore a blue and black jumpsuit with black shoes, black knee and elbow pads, black belt, black forearm armor, black diamond shaped metal knuckles, black skull shaped shoulder armor, and a silver medallion with a Moline cross and a red jewel center. The face of the figure was white with black lips, black cheeks, and black around the eyes to give the appearance of a skull. The hair varied between chin length and shoulder length, black with blue forelocks. The figure looked at Ulrich with empty eyes, white with just a hint of color that outlined where the irises and the pupils would be.

* * *

><p>Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi were sitting on a bench outside waiting for everyone else to meet up with them before class started.<p>

"Who do you think would be the worst to fight if XANA ever possessed them?" asked Odd.

"Aelita," said Ulrich. "Hands down. We can't devirtualize her if there's a tower to deactivate. And XANA knows we wouldn't willingly hurt her."

"That's right," said Yumi. "But William is a pain, too. It takes more than one hit to take him out. XANA made him powerful enough to take us out with one swing of his sword."

"I was thinking Eva," said Odd.

"Eva?" asked Yumi.

Ulrich chuckled. "I don't know who would be worse off with that. Eva's so stubborn from what Kayla tells us that XANA might not be able to possess her."

"Well, the Scyphozoa can't get a hold of Kayla without getting shocked," said Odd. "So Eva's the only one who's left out."

"What about one of us?" asked Yumi.

"Not to say that you guys stink, but Eva can take us all out," said Odd.

Kayla came over to them, a cup of coffee in her hand. "Hey, guys," she said, sitting beside Odd. "What are we talking about?"

"Who would be worse for us if XANA took control of them," said Odd.

"Odd just said that Eva would be worst case scenario," said Yumi.

"I can understand that," said Kayla. "She doesn't need her special abilities to take a monster out. All she needs is an attack and the right timing." She frowned. "Why Eva? Why not me?"

"Because apparently you wouldn't be plausible," said Ulrich. "The Scyphozoa can't hold onto you long enough to possess you."

"But what if it did?" asked Kayla.

"Then we would be in trouble," said Ulrich.

"Yeah," said Odd. "One super powered, XANA controlled LYOKO warrior is bad enough. You and William both have super strength. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Kayla smiled. "I think you would. And as for XANA possessing Eva, I don't think that would ever happen without Eva retaining some control. She's a stubborn one."

* * *

><p>"Oh, no," breathed Yumi. "Don't tell me that's who I think it is."<p>

"Eva!" cried Kayla. "What are you doing?"

"That's not your friend, Kayla," said Batman.

"Those vampires are using your memories to come up with your worst enemies," said Etrigan.

"If they are using our memories, then we are in serious trouble," said William.

"How strong is your friend?" asked Batman. "Certainly she cannot be stronger than the four of you."

"We had a discussion about this before," said Yumi. "Who would be the worst friend to fight. We chose Eva. Eva may not be as strong as Kayla or as fast as Ulrich, but she has the stamina to keep on fighting. Not to mention she is smart. She almost fights like a creeper."

The faux Eva turned to Ulrich. Ulrich jumped up and back onto the beams away from Faux Eva. Faux Eva followed him, her movements quicker than Ulrich's.

"Ulrich, get out of there!" shouted Yumi.

Ulrich used his speed to get up high and far away from faux Eva as possible.

Batman threw Bat-arang at faux Eva. She saw it coming at the last second and leaned back out of the way.

Etrigan shot a jet of fire from his mouth. Faux Eva simply jumped out of the way. She set her white eyes on the demon. Etrigan prepared himself for battle. Faux Eva ran for him, her body taking on a whitish glow and beginning fade.

Yumi saw what was happening and she ran to Etrigan and slammed her full weight into him. Etrigan and Yumi tumbled across the beam and faux Eva landed on the beam where Etrigan was standing.

"Why did you interfere?" Etrigan angrily asked Yumi. "The battle's end was near!"

"For you maybe," said Yumi, watching faux Eva's every move. "But for us — I really don't want to have to fight you."

Faux Eva started running at them again. Yumi threw her fan. Faux Eva flipped over it, her body taking on that whitish glow again.

"No!" Kayla jumped in faux Eva's path and the slammed into each other. Faux Eva disappeared and Kayla fell on a beam several levels down, coming dangerously close to falling into the pit of white that was the digital sea.

"Kayla!" yelled William.

"Where's Eva?" asked Batman, looking around.

"Oh, shoot!" hissed Ulrich, drawing both sabers. He jumped down to Kayla and attacked.

Kayla flipped over, her feet missing Ulrich by inches. She spun around, dropping to the beam, sweeping her leg so she could take out Ulrich's feet. Ulrich jumped over Kayla's leg and tried to cut her. Kayla moved too quickly, jumping out of the way and flipping out of Ulrich's reach.

"Ulrich, don't hurt her!" shouted William.

"What is going on?" asked Batman. "Why is Ulrich attacking Kayla?"

"They are using Eva to her full advantage from what I can tell," said Yumi. "Possession is one of Eva's special abilities."

"And the other?" asked Batman.

"I'm not saying in hopes Armand and Philip don't know it," said Yumi.

William came to Ulrich's aid. Kayla was about to deliver a powerful kick to Ulrich's head. William put his sword up, using it as a shield. Kayla's leg bounced off it. She turned in the opposite direction, hoping to catch Ulrich in the side. Ulrich put his sabers up, using the flats to stop Kayla's attack.

Yumi and Batman came down and helped, driving Kayla into a corner. Kayla began to move side to side, almost like she was dancing.

"Capoeira," whispered Ulrich. "Get ready."

Etrigan jumped down and grabbed Kayla from behind. She let out a growl and tried to wrestle away.

"She'll try to escape!" Yumi told the others. "She'll get out of Kayla's body and she'll try to attack us again."

Kayla struggled in Etrigan's grip.

"_No!_" Kayla stopped moving. She was breathing heavily. "_No. You will not use her against me._"

"Kayla?" asked William.

* * *

><p>Eva and Kayla were sitting on Kayla's back porch sipping sodas.<p>

"You know," said Eva, "you're the first real friend I ever had, Kayla."

Kayla turned to Eva. "You really think so?" she asked.

Eva nodded. "Being out on the streets, it doesn't give you much time to make friends. And those friends you do make you can't trust."

"I guess I should feel honored," said Kayla.

Eva turned to Kayla. "You should," she said.

* * *

><p>Kayla struggled to stay still, to keep control of her own body.<p>

"_Get out,_" she said.

* * *

><p>"I trust you," said Kayla. "Do you trust me?"<p>

Eva had to think about that one for a long moment. She didn't know how to answer it. "I trust you," she finally said. "I promise I won't turn my back on you."

* * *

><p>"<em>You promised,<em>" hissed Kayla. She began glowing.

* * *

><p>Armand and Philip gasped as they watched the scene unfold.<p>

"What is this?" asked Armand.

"She's taking control!" cried Philip.

* * *

><p>Kayla let out a yell and a blast of white fired from her body, reforming into faux Eva. Faux Eva turned to face Kayla. The LYOKO warriors prepared to fight. Etrigan released Kayla so they could both fight.<p>

"Wait!" said Kayla.

"It's not really Eva, Kayla!" said Yumi.

"Just wait!" Kayla grabbed Yumi's arm. She turned to Eva. "In a way that is Eva. They used our memories to create this copy. She may be able to help us."

Faux Eva looked at Kayla. "To escape this lie, LYOKO must die."

"LYOKO must die?" questioned Batman.

The four LYOKO warriors immediately knew what Faux Eva was talking about.

"I understand," said Kayla.

Eva nodded and stepped aside.

"Come on!" said Ulrich, racing for the corridor.

The others followed him, Kayla pausing briefly to look at Faux Eva.

Eva stared back. "I promised I would not turn my back on you," she said in her raspy voice. "Separated, but never torn apart."

Kayla smiled.

"Kayla, let's go!" shouted William.

They caught the elevator and ran out into the celestial dome.

"What did she mean LYOKO must die?" asked Batman.

"We have to destroy this place," said Yumi.

"How?" asked Batman.

"Far more power we would need to complete such a deed," said Etrigan.

"This is Sector Five," said Kayla. "The heart of LYOKO. We just need to destroy the core of LYOKO."

"And where is that?" asked Batman.

"The only way to get to it is from under Sector Five," said Yumi. "We need our vehicles."

"And we don't have much time," said Ulrich. "The mantas will be after us soon."

"We need our vehicles," said Kayla.

Yumi ran to the end of the ledge and found the interface. "I had to do this once," she said. She gave an agitated sigh. "I don't remember how to do it."

"Then let's get someone who does," said Ulrich.

There was a strange shadowy mist that formed into a pink haired elf in a pink jumpsuit.

"Aelita," said Yumi. "Perfect."

Faux Aelita stepped up to the interface and pressed a few things. Their vehicles appeared and they jumped on, Etrigan riding with Kayla and Batman riding with Yumi.

"Thanks, Princess," said Ulrich.

There was a screech to warn them that the mantas were coming.

"Time to go!" said William, revving his engine.

They dove under the sphere that was Sector Five and found the entrance to the core of LYOKO.

"We have to go through that?" asked Batman, seeing the trap that opened and closed, threatening to crush anyone who dared entered.

"It's all about the timing," said Yumi, taking careful aim with her over-wing.

The six of them made it through. Yumi pushed the key to reveal the staircase. They hurried up to the core.

"I never thought I would be doing this," said Yumi. She threw her fans and they bounced off the first protective shield.

Kayla began beating the shield with her morning star. Etrigan used his fire, Batman used whatever explosives he had, and William was using the energy from his sword. Ulrich was keeping look out, his sabers more suited for short range attacks. Finally the two layers were destroyed and all that was left was the core of LYOKO.

"Ulrich," said Yumi.

Ulrich took out one saber, expertly flipped it around, and threw it into the core. There was an explosion and everything went dark.

* * *

><p>Batman was the first on his feet. He looked around, observing the darkened room and the mirror. On the floor were Armand and Philip. They looked like shriveled husks, both of them dead.<p>

There was burst of flames and Etrigan turned back into Jason Blood.

"They used all their powers keeping us in the illusion," said Jason.

Batman turned to the four LYOKO warriors. They were passed out on the floor, down for the count. "Who knew video games were good for you?"


	8. A Call to Eva

The LYOKO warriors woke up as the ambulance and police were coming. Jason and Batman helped them all get to their feet and walk out of Noire Manor. They were tired, but none of them were hurt.

Batman and Jason filled them in on everything after they destroyed the core of LYOKO. The LYOKO warriors just nodded and smiled. Batman and Jason both had feelings that there was more to this than the kids were letting on, but they didn't push the subject. Everyone was safe and the only casualties were the vampire twins.

Their parents were less than pleased with all this. The Dunbars were just happy to have William back safe and they promised him he was going to be grounded all summer once they got home. The Sterns on the other hand were a completely different matter. Mrs. Stern was in tears and Mr. Stern was berating Ulrich. This was quickly put to a stop by Batman praising Ulrich's deeds that helped stop two kidnappers.

Ulrich turned to Jason. "There's something I don't understand," he said. Jason turned to Ulrich. "How did we get out of this without injury and Armand and Philip died?"

"There can be a number of reasons for that," answered Jason. "One is that your minds were so strong that you were able to use their power against them." He smiled. "I am surprised by this actually. In order to do something like that you would have had to have prior experience. Have you ever done anything like that before?"

The four friends looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Jason's smile widened. It confirmed his and Batman's suspicions about the children knowing more than they were letting on.

"You four are very strong," said Jason. He turned to Kayla. "Especially you."

Kayla frowned. "Me?" she asked. "How?"

"You turned an illusion that was supposed to be used against us against the vampires," said Jason. "That is not an easy thing to do."

Kayla blushed. "I just remembered what the real Eva said to me. She promised she wouldn't turn her back on me."

"You two must be very close friends," said Jason.

"Speaking of Eva," said Ulrich, taking out his mobile. "I have to call Nicolas to tell him that everything's okay."

"Oh, boy," said Yumi.

"What?" asked Jason.

"Nicolas is Eva's boyfriend," said Yumi.

"He's going to tell her what happened," said Kayla.

"Brace yourselves," said William.

Ulrich talked to Nicolas for a few minutes, explaining everything that happened. Several minutes after Ulrich got off the phone with Nicolas, they all received text messages.

**Don't answer ur mobiles. –A**

A few seconds after receiving the message, their mobiles started ringing, first Ulrich's, then William's, then the girls'.

"I think it's safe to say that Eva now knows what happened," said Ulrich as Yumi checked the caller ID.

"We should tell her," said Kayla. "It's only going to make things worse."

"Go ahead," said William. "You've been friends with her for the longest."

When Eva called Kayla, Kayla answered.

"Eva, we're okay," Kayla immediately said.

There was shouting in French that all of them could hear. Kayla held her mobile as far away from her ear as possible as Eva went on a rant, threatening to beat both William and Ulrich to pulps for not telling her when this happened.

"_What could've you done?_" Ulrich called. "_It's not like you could have taken a plane._"

"_I would have found a way!_" roared Eva.

"_When you calm down, I will call you back,_" said Kayla and then she hung up.

"You have guts," said William.

"You just need to know how to deal with her," said Kayla.

"I can't wait to get home and tell the others about this," said William.

"Same here," said Yumi. "But I think I'm going to have a hard time explaining this one to my parents."

"We'll figure something out," said Ulrich. "We always do."

* * *

><p>Later that night when they were allowed to go back to their hotel room, Kayla decided to call Eva. They were supposed to be sleeping because they were going to fly back home tomorrow. The parents all agreed that they had enough of an adventure for one vacation. Kayla was probably the most exhausted out of the four of them. Jason said this was because Kayla had used the most energy and the mental strain was catching up to her.<p>

Kayla got out of bed, careful not to disturb Mrs. Dunbar or Mrs. Stern. Yumi was out like a light and wouldn't be walking up for the rest of the night, Kayla was certain. Kayla left the hotel room and found a quiet place in a secluded hallway by a window. There she dialed Eva's number.

"Kayla?" Eva answered.

"_Hey,_" said Kayla. "_I'm sorry about hanging up on you._"

"_You're forgiven,_" Eva said quickly. "_Are you and the others all right?_"

"_We're all fine,_" said Kayla. "_I will explain everything when I get home tomorrow. I just called to say thank you for being my friend and being such a good friend. I know I've called you insane and stubborn, but I love you, anyway. And if it wasn't for you being the way you are, I don't think all of us would have gotten out alive._"

There was silence on the other end.

"_Eva, are you still there?_" asked Kayla.

"_Yes,_" answered Eva in a small voice.

"_You're a good teacher,_" said Kayla. "_Your tricks about conquering fear saved me from a panic attack, and I think Ulrich and William used a few of your tricks, too, to get to us._" Kayla was beginning to choke up and start crying. "_I love you, my sister. I'm glad I met you and I'm glad that we became such good friends._"

"_I love you, too, Kayla,_" Eva said, her voice quivering.

Kayla wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "_I got to go. I'm so tired from all the fighting and running around I did._"

"_You get some sleep,_" said Eva.

Kayla hung up her mobile and went back to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>The end of another installment. One more crossover story and the <em>Light and Shadow<em> series will be concluded. Please review!**


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